Kiko Romeo , one of kenya’s leading designers, launched their men’s collection yesterday at the Yaya Centre. I was there with my friend K.
What Worked Perfectly
The concept for the whole show was spot-on; creative and interesting. Bond 007. At the entrance to the show, we were met by 2 super smart Jaguars (Definately Bond-cars). Guests had a chance to enter the Jaguars – sit, feel, experience. One of the sponsors was Jameson – the irish whiskey – nice continuity to the theme. In terms of a concept, it couldn’t have been a hotter, better idea. Points!
The dress code was 007/Bond girl. I loved every bit of that and loved being a bond girl for one night.
The audience actually adhered to the dress code and the space was packed with really smart looking people! K and I were totally impressed. We, the women looked gorgeous, smart, sexy – the men were nicely dressed up: some with suits; a lot with smart shirts and pants; some with the full Bond outfit complete with bowtie! It was a very smart crowd.
The Boys: The Kenya Rugby Team guys, who were the models, looked like they were having a complete ball. They had fun me thinks and it showed. Again, in terms of creative concept, it was nice to see them at the pool table that was part of the show “set”; nice to see them do bench presses on the machine that was set out on the ground floor; fun to see them pose in the glass lifts at Yaya Centre as they went up and down lit by huge spotlights. And the collaboration of this fashion designer and this Kenyan team was really a great idea! Loved that.
The short videos played on a large screen on one of the walls were absolutely beautifully shot and stunning. I want to own them! Produced by KuleTV – they did a perfect job of showing off the stunningly athletic kenya rugby team and the beautiful fabric colours and creations that are so much a part of the kiko romeo brand. Complete love! (note to self: develop some videos with KuleTV)
What Needed Improvement
The actual “show” in terms of seeing the actual collection and the models walk was really poorly coordinated. It seemed the models, including the Kenya Rugby Team, hadn’t practised the sequence so there was confusion on where they were to go after walking down the stairs; which way they were to exit. It needed to have been better rehearsed.
The dangling rope act. One of the highlights of the show was two “bond girls” and one guy coming down on a rope dangling from the second floor to the ground floor; the kind of move James Bond would pull – scaling a building or something. The idea was a good one, the execution again was terrible. I don’t think they had rehearsed this at all and the female models looked totally terrified; they came down in jerky motions that looked clumsy and scary. (They really had reason to be afraid!) The whole team of models needed to have rehearsed several more times to deliver a well executed; well timed show.
Also due to the lack of coordination, there were many moments of “nothing happening” which left me and others around me wondering what was going on. At times the MC would announce some upcoming action only for there to be a delay of 10 or 15 minutes before anything happened. Again, rehearsal and coordinating the timings would have cleared these problems.
Finally, the collection itself was disappointing. I love, love Kiko Romeo and own several of their pieces and i am always on the look out to own more. I love their work. But for a show that was to launch the new men’s collection, the clothes on show were limited and mostly uninteresting. Most of the Rugby Team/models wore only one dull coloured shirt for the entire show. Other than one black suit worn by one of the players and the main piece showcased by Nato Simiyu – who is clearly the face of the collection – there really was little to see. Ajuma was present and even she wore just one little black dress for the entire show. For the launch of the collection, there really could have been more to see. For example, it would have been great to see the stunning red shirts pictured in the invite. Kiko could have shown more.
How’d it do Overall?
At the end of the night, i was so glad i went. It was a really ambitious, well attended, smart event. The poor aspects of the occasion serve to remind me just how critical rehearsal and practice are to a flawless final outcome. (Note to self – practice does make everything nice!) K was perfect company for the night (thanks gal!) and it was wonderful to share the experience and the fashion; the evaluations, the laughter and the drinks – though we both definitely are not “jameson-girls”.
Big up to Kiko for pulling off a fab event, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in regards to functions in Nairobi, bringing together a very smart group of nairobians and doing an inspiring collaboration of fashion and sport. Good one!
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